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Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker (left, battling the L.A. Galaxy's Juninho during a May 11, 2013 game at BC Place) is a finalist for the league's newcomer of the year award.

Photograph by: Gerry Kahrmann
, PNG files

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps feature in a pair of finalist categories — newcomer of the year and the team fair play award — as Major League Soccer announced its award finalists on Wednesday.

But one Caps star — Golden Boot winner Camilo Sanvezzo — didn’t make the cut for league MVP despite topping two finalists (Chicago's Mike Magee and Montreal's Marco DiVaio) as the league’s top goal scorer on the final weekend of the regular season.

English midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, who brought speed and starch to the Caps’ lineup during the 2013 season, is one of three finalists for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award.

"Reo-Coker brought a measure of stability and leadership to our team following the loss of Jay DeMerit, our captain, to injury in the opening game of the season," Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi said in a statement. "Not only did he wear the captain’s armband when called upon, his ability to drive the play forward from midfield and slot in at right back when necessary was also invaluable throughout the season."

The 29-year-old Reo-Coker joined the Whitecaps last February after a decade of playing experience at the highest levels in England. The London native led the Whitecaps in minutes played with 2,817, starting 31 of 32 appearances, and contributing offensively with one goal and four assists. In addition, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound midfielder achieved a passing accuracy of nearly 82 per cent and was among the top 10 in the league for most passes and most passes in the opposition half.

Reo-Coker will vie with New England Revolution defender Jose Goncalves and Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri for the Newcomer of the Year award, which is handed out to a player who has professional experience in another league and had an outstanding first season in MLS. The finalists were determined by votes from current MLS players, MLS club technical staffs and front offices, as well as media members who covered the league regularly in 2013. The winner will be announced on Dec. 4.

The Caps are also finalists for the Xbox Team Fair Play award, which is rather remarkable only a year after they were one of the most penalized teams in MLS. The 2013 Whitecaps committed 387 fouls, nearly 100 fewer than the league-high 481 fouls they were slapped with in 2012. The 2013 total was fourth lowest in MLS. In addition, only five teams received fewer cautions than the Whitecaps (46) and D.C. United was the only team with fewer ejections. The Caps were one of four teams who had just one.

The winner of the Xbox Team Fair Play award will be announced on Nov. 25.

MLS announced a slate of finalists for league awards on Wednesday. They are:

• Volkswagen Most Valuable Player finalists:

Marco DiVaio (Montreal Impact)

Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy)

Mike Magee (Chicago Fire)

• AT&T Rookie of the Year finalists:

Deshorn Brown (Colorado Rapids)

Dillon Powers (Colorado Rapids)

DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)

• Xbox Individual Fair Play finalists*

Jalil Anibaba (Chicago Fire)

Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake)

Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers)

* Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fouls committed, cards received, games & minutes played, as well as subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.

• Xbox Team Fair Play finalists*

Houston Dynamo

LA Galaxy

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

* Selected by MLS based on objective criteria such as fewest fouls committed, cards received, and on subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior.

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